Photo: Kelowna RCMP

The Kelowna and West Kelowna RCMP boats are now back in the water and will be patrolling the lake until the end of the summer.

Kelowna and West Kelowna RCMP boats are now back in the water and will be patrolling the lake until the end of the summer.

In a post online, Mounties reminded boaters to know where their safety kits on their boats are located, to ensure proper equipment has not expired, and to avoid alcohol or drugs while operating a vessel and drive your boats with care and safety in mind.

Boater safety is always a concern in the Okanagan, given that the 90 kilometre lake that spans the distance between Vernon and Penticton has a high number of fatalities.

Between 2013 and 2023 the BC Coroners Service says 29 people drowned in Okanagan Lake, 51 died in the Fraser River, nine died in the Thompson River, eight died in the Columbia River, 12 died in Harrison Lake and nine died in Shuswap Lake.